Alliance
The Alliance, officially the Alliance of Independent Systems, is a galactic superpower and a parliamentary democracy. It is the third largest major faction in the galaxy. Its historic and political center is the system of Alioth; Garden City on Turner's World, close to the old industrial and ship-building city of New Rossyth, is the seat of the Alliance government. The Alliance was established in 3230 in Alioth, and portrays itself as a beacon of human rights and democracy in an increasingly autocratic universe. It rejects the rigid hierarchy of the Empire and the extreme capitalism of the Federation, opting instead for a voluntary political association focused on the mutual prosperity of its members. The decentralized nature of this approach means that the Alliance's many member systems, represented by their respective Council Members on the Alliance Assembly, often struggle to come to an agreement on anything, however. The Alliance is led by the Alliance Prime Minister, who is elected by and heads the Alliance Assembly. The current Alliance Prime Minister is Edmund Mahon. The independent systems that formed the Alliance also sought to defend against the encroachment of the other two superpowers through military cooperation and mutual defense. On this front, the Alliance is more cohesive, and each member system contributes a portion of its navy to the Alliance Defence Force. The Alliance Assembly appoints the leaders of the ADF's six largest fleets to the Council of Admirals, which heads the entire ADF and has the power to act swiftly without prior approval from the Assembly. Vessels of the ADF generally bear the decals of their own navies, but display an additional decal specific to the ADF while operating under its umbrella. History Born from conflict The Alliance may champion the ideals of harmony and independence, but it is very much the product of violence. Alioth, the Alliance powerbase, was once a highly contested system. In the decades that followed its colonisation, it was the site of almost constant conflict between the Federation and the Empire. Naturally this made life difficult for the system's inhabitants, whose lives were impacted by generation after generation of war.Galactic News: The Origin of the Alliance The turning point came in 3228 CE, when the Federal corporations supplying one of Alioth's main population centres attempted to raise prices. This triggered a revolt. Federal and Imperial forces were dispatched to quell the uprising, but the resistance, bolstered by fighters from neighbouring independent systems, successfully repelled them. Ultimately the Empire chose to withdraw from the system, reluctant to commit to a potentially protracted campaign far from its centre of power. When the Federation realised how unpopular the war had become among Federal citizens, it followed suit. Events in 2380 - 3230 After the war between Achenar and the Federation concluded in 2380 CE, the Federation looked to find new resources elsewhere. In 2398, the first of a new wave of colonial missions was sent to the outermost sectors in the opposite direction to the Empire and Lave. Alioth was colonised in 2452. Survey data and reports had already indicated the rich resources of the system before settlement, but the resources proved richer than expected. The first colonial settlement in the system was known as 'Fruitcake', the name given owing to the loamy consistency of the planetary surface and its propensity for small mineral deposits.Tourist beacon 0115 Alioth History In 2559, the tourist liner Everichon, full of Imperial nobles was hijacked by a Caker group who planned to crash it into one of the gas giants. The attempt was thwarted by the Imperial commandos. The holo-vid broadcast and subsequent fictional dramatisation 'Rebel Madness', went some way to diverting popular opinion from the insurrection.Tourist Beacon 0117 Everichon Hijack Having smuggled weapons into the system, the tension between the Cakers and the authorities was always going to spill over eventually. In 2617, the death of Tom Quaterson, a munitions worker who had been convicted of selling food coupons to the poor, was the spark that lit the flame of revolt. Workers on the gas platforms seized control of the facilities and planetside, the general populace stormed the Governor's residence. Quentin Deviseses wasn't just a revolutionary. He had a long term strategy for the system and as soon as the planet was secure, used every means he could to get the word out that Alioth would become a free trade port. The resource implication of Alioth's independence was too much for either the Empire or the Federation to take.Tourist Beacon 0118 Tom Quaterson Death In 2853, the science research outpost of Nesbitt Landing was founded. Initially this was to be a joint venture between the Empire and Federation, but when a detailed study into the genetic problems on New California linked the issue with the terraforming of the planet in 2612, the Imperials withdrew from the project. The matter remained a local issue until, in 2854, responding to pressure from Achenar, Imperial soldiers instigated martial law and attempted to impose a genetic correction programme on the planet. This was prevented by a coup against the military garrison by a new Caker sect. Within days, the planet had been secured and an appreal was sent to the Federation for assistance. A fierce battle ensued; Imperial forces from the orbital refineries began a planetary bombardment, but the arrival of a Federal fleet escalated the conflict. Eventually, the Imperial ships pulled back and Admiral Kracer landed with his marines to cheering crowds in the capital. Kracer retired three years later, settling in New California and later became the colony leader.Tourist Beacon 0119 Caker Coup In 2924, a further conflict started up in the Alioth system, initiated by a squabble over its hydrocarbon resources. The Durn and Resnar Corporation applied for Imperial assistance to enforce its claim over a large swathe of the system's mining rights. A small force of Imperial cruisers and their support ships arrived in the system and rapidly deployed to enforce these claims. They vastly outnumbered the mustered Federal units, and forced them out of the entire system within a year. But then, without warning in 2925, the Imperial battle group disappeared. Federal vessels returned and Hassoni-Kruger appropriated the system's mining rights. Within months all assets of the Durn and Resner Corporation were seized by the Emperor. The reason for the strange events has never been discovered. Federal intelligence sources were later to accuse the Duvals of instigating a cloning programme to breed specialised infantry units.Tourist Beacon 0135 Battlegroup's Disappearance In 3184, the election of Federation President Loric Trander saw a renewal of hostilities over Alioth. This time, conflict was instigated by corporate rivalry in the system's vast gas mining sector. After the discovery of a murdered official named Riley Dain who was investigating the abuse of permitted quotas, the situation quickly escalated. Trander authorised a force of privateers. In response Hesketh Duval sent in the Imperial XV fleet. The conflict avoided the settlement of New California owing to the previous treaty, but the settlers there found themselves all but cut off until a further ceasefire was established in 3198. Neither side achieved anything but line the pockets of the industries who fueled and powered their fleets. It also served to stir further resentment amongst the settlers. At this time, the Caker insurrection became more organised and received substantial financial support from unknown sources.Tourist Beacon 0120 Riley Dain Murder The Alliance of Independent Systems (usually referred to as just 'Alliance') was founded on Alioth in early 3230 CE. Over the next two decades, more than twenty systems went on to join. Some were independent, other revolted from Imperial and Federal control. For nearly a thousand years, colonial settlements could only choose between Imperial tyranny or Federal interference. Alioth and the Alliance provided a third way, more supportive and less conditional on cultural alignment.Tourist Beacon 0007 A third superpower Mic Turner and his life-long partner Meredith Argent were the first to propose a safe political unit for those who wished to exist outside the protection of the Federation or the constraints of the Empire. They were the main driving force behind the creation of the Alliance. In the wake of the conflict, the idea of an independent socio-political body rapidly gained popularity among the people of Alioth and in 3230 CE the Alliance of Independent Systems was established. Its founding principles were simple: to protect and support those who wanted to remain independent of the Federation and the Empire, and to empower its member systems while simultaneously preserving their independence. Over the next two decades, more than twenty systems joined the Alliance. Recent events - 3300 on The Alliance was "watching keenly" as events escalated around the Imperial succession and a junior aide had hinted at frustration in its administration,Newsletter 53: The Chancellor Speaks Out but little news had filtered out of GalNet regarding the region. By 3303 CE, the Alliance had largely avoided disputes with the Federation and Empire as tensions escalated between the latter two superpowers. On June 19, 3303, following an apparent attack by Thargoids on a Federal fleet, Prime Minister Edmund Mahon called for caution, arguing that it had not yet been proven that the destroyed Federal ships were the victims of Thargoid attacks, and that much could be learned from an advanced alien race. The Alliance joined together with the Federation and the Empire to established Aegis, a scientific organization dedicated to researching the Thargoids that utilized the shared resources and knowledge of all three superpowers, on August 4, 3303.Galactic News: Joint Superpower Initiative Announced Following a second attack by Thargoid ships that destroyed a Federal fleet in Pleiades Sector IR-W d1-55 on September 21st, the Alliance and the other two superpowers widened Aegis' remit to focus on both research and defence. The organization's budget was dramatically increased, and it recruited the Engineers Liz Ryder and Professor Palin to produce a new anti-Thargoid weapon and a scanner for Thargoid ships, respectively.Galactic News: Aegis to Widen RemitCommunity Goal: Engineers Appeal for Thargoid Material On December 17, 3303, following a series of unprecedented attacks by Thargoids against Stations, the Alliance commissioned Lakon Spaceways to develop and produce a new ship on an accelerated basis to combat the escalating alien threat: the Type-10 Defender. This marked the first overtly military response from the Alliance to the ongoing Thargoid conflict.Galactic News: Lakon Announces New Ship The Type-10 was released to the public the following week.Galactic News: Type-10 Defender Now Available After the success of the Type-10, further collaboration with Lakon resulted in the creation of a line of Alliance military vessels that were released throughout 3304: the Alliance Chieftain, the Alliance Challenger, and the Alliance Crusader.GalNet: Lakon Releases Alliance ChieftainGalNet: Lakon Releases Alliance Crusader On August 31, 3304, Alliance President Gibson Kincaid confirmed that he would run for re-election and campaign to invest his office with executive powers above those of both the Alliance Assembly and the Alliance Prime Minister.GalNet: Alliance President Proposes Changes While the proposed restructuring of the Alliance bureaucracy was criticized as a risky move that could imbue the presidency with emperor-like authority, the Assembly agreed to hold a vote on it on the same day as the next Alliance presidential election, October 16.GalNet: Assembly to Vote on Proposed ChangesGalNet: Candidates for Alliance Presidency Announced Kincaid faced two opponents in the election: Fazia Silva, a successful entrepreneur who lacked political experience and intended to leverage her business acumen to increase trade and boost economies throughout the Alliance, and Elijah Beck, a respected politician with over four decades of experience in the Alliance Assembly who was unlikely to propose any radical changes. With Kincaid's proposal essentially riding on his chances for victory, political analysts commented that the 3304 presidential election could be the most consequential in Alliance history. Fazia Silva was found poisoned to death on October 5; Alliance Interpol opened an investigation.GalNet: Presidential Candidate Murdered On October 17, the day after the election, Kincaid was confirmed to be victorious over Beck by a narrow margin. Meanwhile, the Assembly opted to debate Kincaid's proposal for one additional week before putting it to a vote.GalNet: Kincaid Wins Election On October 26, the Assembly rejected Kincaid's proposal, but agreed on revising the role of Alliance President. As a result, the Office of the Alliance President was created, a non-political department consisting of a team of ambassadorial emissaries with a diplomatic focus which the Alliance President would oversee. The presidency's term was also increased from one year to three years.GalNet: Alliance Assembly Revises Presidential Role This was far from the end of controversy surrounding the presidency, however. Kincaid's second term became turbulent as he began promoting militarism and acting beyond the purview of his office, and this aggression took a toll on his reputation.GalNet: Kincaid Raises Concerns after Nova ImperiumGalNet: Kincaid and Mahon Clash in Alliance Assembly In May 3305, Councillor Beck accused Kincaid of campaign finance violations, and the Assembly approved a formal inquiry into the allegations.GalNet: President Kincaid Illegal Funding AllegationsGalNet: President Kincaid Denies Corruption Further complicating matters, Council of Admirals member Frederick Yamamoto granted command of the Zaonce Alliance Defence Force fleet to Kincaid, giving an Alliance President the unprecedented power to issue orders to an ADF fleet directly.GalNet: Kincaid Granted Command of Zaonce Fleet Alliance Prime Minister Edmund Mahon called on Kincaid to resign, but Kincaid rejected Mahon's demand.GalNet: Mahon Demands End to Kincaid's Presidency A major blow was dealt to Kincaid on June 1, 3305, when his ally Admiral Yamamoto was arrested for bankrolling the murder of Fazia Silva, which authorities believed was carried out to aid Kincaid's reelection campaign. The Council of Admirals assumed joint command of the Zaonce ADF fleet in Yamamoto's absence.GalNet: Admiral Yamamoto Arrested for Murder On June 7, it came to light that Kincaid was behind a conspiracy involving Yamamoto and other influential individuals which sought to move the Alliance's capital to Zaonce and then establish Kincaid as the Alliance's supreme ruler.GalNet: President Kincaid's Conspiracy Exposed Kincaid and several conspirators were apprehended by Alliance Interpol and charged with treason, murder, and corruption on June 13, and the Alliance Assembly voted to remove Kincaid from office.GalNet: President Kincaid Impeached On June 21, the Assembly voted to amend the constitution and abolish the Alliance presidency, citing Kincaid's crimes as proof that the position was vulnerable to abuse. Councillor Beck volunteered to resign from the Assembly to oversee the restructuring of the presidency's defunct diplomatic department, which would be mostly preserved.GalNet: Alliance President Role Abolished Society Today, the Alliance is widely seen as a paragon of democracy in an increasingly autocratic galaxy. It is governed by a body known as the Alliance Assembly, the primary function of which is to establish common policies and treaties among the Alliance's member systems, and act as an arbitration body when necessary. The notional head of the Alliance Assembly is the Prime Minister, but in reality it is the Council of Admirals that wields the greatest degree of power. The Council of Admirals is a six-person body comprising the leaders of the six largest military forces in the Alliance. In addition to selecting the prime minister, the Council also commands the Alliance Defence Force, a vast flotilla of ships contributed by each of the Alliance's member systems. The Council of Admirals is free to deploy the Defence Force without the approval of the Assembly, making it extremely powerful. "There can be no argument that the Alliance lacks the power-projection abilities of the Empire and the Federation. But it is more than capable of competing with them in economic and political terms, and of defending its member systems when necessary. What the future holds remains to be seen, but under the strong leadership of Prime Minister Edmund Mahon, it seems likely the Alliance will only continue to grow. Alliance Values On July 2, 3301, Prime Minister Mahon gave a speech about the values of the Alliance which he holds dear at the esteemed Alioth University, his alma mater:GalNet: Mahon speaks out on Alliance Values “The Alliance of Independent Systems is built upon a single defining principle and that is one of freedom. The freedoms we enjoy range from our personal freedoms as inscribed in the Bill of Human Rights to the freedom of societies and even planets within the Alliance.” “But we should not accept this grace blindly or assume that its existence continues by mere chance. The birth of the Alliance came from removing the burden of the Federation and the Empire who for centuries fought each other for our resources and we were caught helpless in the middle.” “Both of those organisations proudly describe their origins as being freedom from the tyranny of others. And yet now they are the tyranny and it is our duty to oppose them, while also ensuring that we don’t become them.” Political Variety and Controversy The Alliance is devoted to liberty and self-determination for both its citizens and the governments of its member systems. As a consequence of the Alliance granting member systems a greater degree of autonomy than the Federation and Empire, however, a small number of systems are controlled by Alliance-aligned dictatorship, feudalism, communism, theocracy, and anarchy minor factions. Permitting these government types to operate within the Alliance has been a point of controversy, as they are generally autocratic or even criminal, and some of them allow slavery with no restrictions. As such, these governments are arguably at odds with the Alliance's outspoken commitment to liberty.Children of Liberty call out Alliance Hypocrisy, 07 AUG 3301 The Alliance's criminal and autocratic systems totals as of January 3306 are compared with those of the Federation and the Empire below:Data gathered from EDSM on January 4, 2020 A group calling itself the "Children of Liberty" accused the Alliance of "rampant hypocrisy" on August 7, 3301, claiming that a "huge gulf" exists between the Alliance's professed goals and values and the reality present in many of its member systems: "For an organization that purports to be devoted to the ideals of liberty and self-determination", the release stated, "the Alliance certainly tolerates a great deal of despotism and tyranny within its own borders. It's about time the Alliance addressed the rampant hypocrisy of allowing dictatorships – as well as other restrictive, undemocratic forms of government – membership into their supposed bastion of freedom and liberty." The statement went on to list a number of Alliance-sponsored autocracies in various systems, and called on the Alliance and its supporters to sponsor serious democratic reform in said systems by backing democratically-aligned factions over autocratic ones. Population The Alliance has an estimated population of 491,477,277,221 (491 billion) as of February 3304 CE.https://eddb.io/system Alliance populated systems It is the third most populous superpower in the Milky Way galaxy. People of the Alliance populate 847 star systems, primarily in the Core Systems. More Alliance systems are uninhabited. Leading Population Centers The Alliance's ten most populous systems as of January 3306 are:Data gathered from EDDB on January 4, 2020 Law Every Alliance member system has an independent government that makes its own laws. The Alliance Assembly lacks lawmaking powers. It mainly functions to establish common policies and treaties among its members. There are various security forces that enforce the law in Alliance space. *The Allied Police Forces are the police forces of the Alliance. *Alliance Interpol provides multi-jurisdictional investigation, particularly across Alliance worlds, but also when an investigation strays beyond.Tourist Beacon 0235 *The Alliance Defence Force is essentially a small rapid deployment force consisting of ships from the Alliance member navies. Additional forces can be provided by member system's navies.Victoria Wolf VI and Commodore Stone launch Operation Augeas Government Leadership The Alliance Prime Minister serves as the Alliance's head of government and head of state; the current Prime Minister is Edmund Mahon. The Prime Minister is elected by the Councillors of the Alliance Assembly for a term of six years, and plays an important role in corralling the fractious Assembly into considering and passing legislation, although real power within the Alliance rests with the Civil Servants and the Council of Admirals. There is no term limit, so it is theoretically possible for a Prime Minister to be re-elected and serve multiple terms, but frequent disputes within the Assembly usually preclude any individual from completing their first term. Prime Ministers who fail to win Assembly votes on key policy issues for their platforms often resign, or occasionally are ousted by a vote of no confidence. Since the formation of the Alliance in 3230, no Alliance Prime Minister has yet been elected to a second term.Governments and politics in Elite Dangerous by Michael Brookes. Tourist Beacon 0116 From 3230 to 3305, the Alliance's head of state was a separate office, the President of the Alliance. For most of its history, the presidency was a largely ceremonial role with little practical power. Alliance Presidents were elected to a one-year term, and were limited to no more than two terms. This changed in October 3304 following the re-election of Gibson Kincaid to the presidency. Kincaid had run for a second term on a platform that demanded the Assembly transfer executive powers from the Prime Minister to the President and expand the term length to six years.GalNet: Alliance President Proposes Changes The Assembly rejected this proposal, but did make some changes: the President would from then on serve a single term of three years, and would also oversee a new diplomatic department called the Office of the Alliance President, which took on the ambassadorial duties that Councillors had previously managed individually.GalNet: Alliance Assembly Revises Presidential Role These changes were short-lived. In June 3305, President Gibson Kincaid was exposed as the mastermind of a far-reaching conspiracy to move the Alliance's political center from Alioth to Zaonce so that Kincaid could eventually establish himself as the supreme ruler of the Alliance with absolute power.GalNet: President Kincaid's Conspiracy Exposed Kincaid was removed from office, he and his co-conspirators were charged with treason,GalNet: President Kincaid Impeached and on June 21, 3305, the Assembly voted to abolish the presidency to prevent the position from being abused ever again.GalNet: Alliance President Role Abolished Council of Admirals The six members of Council of Admirals are responsible for commanding the Alliance Defence Force. The Council wields power independently from the Alliance Assembly and can issue orders to the ADF fleets without the Assembly's prior approval for the sake of rapid-response capability. However, the Assembly decides which admirals sit on the Council, and the Council is required to report and account for its decisions to the Assembly after any military action. Each admiral on the Council is the commander of one of the ADF's largest contributing fleets; members have been appointed from the navies of Lave, Zaonce, and Tionisla. Alliance Assembly The Council Members of the Alliance Assembly are elected by the people of each member state. Some Member States have slightly different electoral rules based on their history. The number of Council Members within the Alliance Assembly is based on the size of each member state's respective populations; some only have one. The Council Members represent their member system politically in Parliament. The Meetings of the Alliance Assembly are conducted virtually but run on Turner's World in Alioth. The Prime Minister is elected by the Council Members, and it is his or her job to corral them into some sort of consensus which is generally a slow process. There is much less tradition than in the other powers, and processes within the Alliance Assembly are still subject to change – generally when arguments break out, as they frequently do. In practice the Alliance is largely run by Civil Servants – salaried officials that look after day to day running of the Alliance, generally not getting involved in the political struggles. Due to much cultural variation the Alliance Assembly rarely gets anything done. The Alliance Assembly is the central body for the Alliance as a whole. While parallels can be drawn with the European Union in the 21st century, the Assembly lacks the law making powers of the EU. It mainly functions as a means for establishing common policies and treaties rather than laws. It also acts as an arbitration body between member states and depending on Assembly votes can enforce sanctions or corrective measures. However the politics of the member states often makes this a tricky process.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0R8jZN2_tJU Tourist Spot 0113 When the ruling minor faction of a Member State changes, then depending on the rules of that Member State, it could change who represents them in the Assembly – but given that the Assembly rarely gets anything done, it is unlikely anyone will notice. Key Systems These are key Alliance star systems. *Alioth - The capital system of the Alliance. *Gateway - Headquarters of Alliance Prime Minister Edmund Mahon. *Lave - One of the Old Worlds and the former seat of the Galactic Cooperative. Often wavers between Alliance control and independence. *Leesti - Notable for Zero-G Cricket and Leestian Evil Juice. One of the Old Worlds.In-Game Description *Diso - Noted for ancient Ma Corn plantations, but beset by frequent solar activity. One of the Old Worlds. Birthplace of Edmund Mahon, who represented it on the Alliance Assembly after it left the Federation and joined the Alliance in 3287.Elite Dangerous Knowledge Base > Individuals > Edmund Mahon *Zaonce - Home system of the Bank of Zaonce. One of the Old Worlds. *Tionisla - Noted for the Tionisla Orbital Graveyard. One of the Old Worlds. *Reorte - Home system of renowned shipbuilder Faulcon DeLacy. One of the Old Worlds. *Quator - A lawless backwater. One of the Old Worlds. Faction information Ranks The Alliance does not have a navy auxiliary like the Federation and Empire. Consequently, none of the Alliance's ships or systems are locked behind a rank system. The only permit-locked system within the Alliance is its capital, Alioth, and its permit can be acquired by gaining reputation with the Alioth Independents minor faction. Faction ships The Alliance has 3 faction ships. *Alliance Challenger *Alliance Chieftain *Alliance Crusader Permits Permits are required to access certain systems that are otherwise locked out by the computer of your Frame Shift Drive (FSD). Such permits are rewarded by the controlling faction for that locked system, when you become allied with that faction. You can often find that faction on a station outside the main system they control. Once allied, simply visit the Bulletin Board at any of the faction's stations to accept a job titled "Making Friends And Going Places". Accepting the job automatically adds the permit to your FSD computer. Videos File:Elite_Dangerous_-_Epic_History_of_The_Alliance File:Elite_Dangerous-_THE_ALLIANCE_CODEX Gallery File:AllianceInsignia.png|Insignia of the Alliance File:Alliance insignia simple.png|Alternate insignia File:Alioth Donaldson and Turner's World.jpg|Donaldson and Turner's World. The birthplace of the File:Alliance of Independent Systems File:Edmund Mahon.png|Alliance Prime Minister Edmund Mahon File:Corbra earthlike.jpg|Cobra of the Alliance Defence Force File:Elite Dangerous Human City Concept Art.png|Alliance megalopolis art File:Elite-Dangerous-Alliance-City.png|An Alliance city See also * President of the Alliance * Alliance Defence Force * Alliance key people * Alliance Assembly * Turner's World * Garden City * Alioth * Lore References Category:Factions Category:Alliance Category:Organizations Category:Galactic Superpower Category:Governments